Sandbag filling device

ABSTRACT

A sand bag filling device comprises a trailer having a foldable post with a distribution head at a top of the vertical post. This distribution head is attached to a plurality of filling spouts which extend downwardly and outwardly from the head to positions surrounding the head. A rotatable chute is positioned at the top of the head for receiving sand from a conveyor and for supplying that sand to each in turn of the filling spouts. The post is formed in three portions each pivotally movable relative to the next, with an intermediate post portion pivotally hinged to a top and a bottom post portion at diametrically opposite sides of the post. The filling spouts are attached via readily releasable couplings to funnels communicating the rotatable chute in appropriate position therewith. There may be up to 18 to 24 spouts.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to an apparatus for use in filling sand bags.

BACKGROUND

Sand bags are often used in military situations or in floodingsituations to provide a structurally stable embankment formed fromreadily available materials.

In most cases of use of sand bags the locating of the sand bags isgenerally of a temporary nature but requires to be implementedrelatively quickly. Thus in the military situation the embankment formedfrom the sandbags is provided for protection of personnel and equipmentand must therefore be quickly deployed so that the personnel andequipment are not left exposed. In the flooding or water controlsituation, again it is often desirable to deploy the sandbags veryquickly since flooding can arise and subside within a few hours.

One technique generally used in the field for filling of sandbags is avery crude system based upon manual labor using simply shovels and themanual support of the bag so that one person shovels while a secondperson holds the mouth of the bag open. This is of course very slow andtedious process and thus involves the second person holding the bag openfor an extended period of time which is of course tiring.

Machines have been proposed for use in filling sandbags.

The old U.S. Pat. No. 121529 (Lum) from 1871 simply discloses a funnelsystem and stand which assist in supporting a bag for filling but do notsignificantly increase the speed of filling or the efficiency of theoperation so that sand bags can be filled and located much more quickly.

The very similar U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,552,346 (Garden) and 4,044,921(Caverly) disclose sand bag filling systems in which sand is supplied ona hopper of a truck and is discharged from the rear of the truck into asingle bag which is positioned at the required location for receivingthe sand. In both cases the rate of filling bags is very slow since onlya single bag at a time can be filled and then must be moved away fromthe filling location before a second bag can be filled. This provides avery slow operation which is unlikely to provide bags at a sufficientrate for an emergency situation even when large numbers of persons areavailable for manual labor.

The patent of Garden requires manual operation of a filling valve andthis is of course disadvantageous in that the operator must remove onehand from the bag to operate the valve with the danger of spilling.

The patent of Caverly discloses an arrangement which is relativelycomplex including a conveyor and filling control system. The device istherefore relatively expensive and is dedicated solely to the purpose offilling bags. It cannot operate at the very high rate required foremergency use and hence is of little value in such a situation.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,463,085 (Byberg) discloses a bagging system forharvested crops in which the crops are discharged into a hopper and eachbag in turn moved by a carrying chain system from a bag attachmentstation, through a filling station to a discharge position. The unit ismounted upon a trailer system so that the unit can be carried across theground for bagging harvested crops such as onions, potatoes and thelike. The system again is relatively slow and does not make efficientuse of the large number of persons available in an emergency situation,nor does it fill bags at a rate which would enable the large number ofpersons available to be efficiently occupied in filling and locating thebags.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,548,222 (Kindseth) discloses a system for filling bagswith a powder material such as flour in which bags are moved pastfilling stations. This system is of little relevance for the rapidfilling of sand bags.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is one aspect of the present invention, therefore, to provide a sandbag filling apparatus which can be rapidly deployed at a location wheresand bags are required and provides rapid filling of bags.

According to an aspect of the invention there is provided an apparatusfor filling sand bags comprising:

a support structure;

a distribution head mounted on the support structure;

a plurality of discharge spouts each mounted on the support structureand each defining a separate duct extending from the distribution headto a discharge mouth of the discharge spout;

the distribution head being mounted at an elevated position from theground for receiving sand for filling into bags from a conveyor;

each spout being arranged to cause flow of sand therethrough from thedistribution head to the discharge mouth;

each discharge mouth being spaced from the ground by a distance toreceive a sandbag thereunder;

the support structure including a post carrying the distribution head atits top that is arranged to stand upwardly from a base of the supportstructure;

the post being formed by a top post portion at or proximate a first endof the post supporting the distribution head, a bottom post portion ator proximate a second end of the post carried on the base of the supportstructure, and an intermediate post portion operatively coupled betweenthe top and the bottom post portion such that each of the top, thebottom, and the intermediate post portion is pivotally movable to thenext;

the intermediate post portion being sized to form a shorter length ofthe upstanding post than the top post portion;

the intermediate post portion being pivotally hinged to each of the toppost portion and the bottom post portion on a diametrically oppositeside of the post such that upon pivoting the top post portion from anupstanding orientation towards a substantially horizontal orientationthe intermediate post portion is pivotally displaced in an outwardlyopposite direction from the top portion thereby bringing a bottom of thetop post portion over a top of the bottom post portion in a foldedcondition of the post.

In one arrangement the intermediate post portion comprises first andsecond portions operatively coupled so as to collectively form thelength of the intermediate post portion. As such, the first and secondportions are arranged end to end in an operating condition of the postin which all of the post portions are in vertical alignment.

Preferably the first and second portions are pivotally hinged to oneanother on a common side to a hinge location whereat the intermediatepost portion is pivotally hinged to the top post portion so that in thefolded condition of the post the first and second portions verticallystack out of vertical alignment with the bottom post portion and saidhinge location is located below a topmost end of the intermediate postportion in the folded condition of the post.

The first and second portions may be sized to form substantially equalportions of the length of the intermediate post portion.

In one arrangement the first and second portions each are sizedsubstantially the same to one another in height along the length of theintermediate post portion and in width.

Preferably there is provided an actuator operatively coupled between thetop post portion and the bottom post portion on that side of the postwhere the top and intermediate post portions are pivotally hinged fordisplacing the post portions in folding movement of the post.

Preferably the discharge spouts are connected to the distribution headby readily releasable couplings.

Preferably there are provided a prescribed number of discharge spoutswhich lies in a range from 18 to 24. Typically this prescribed number is18 or 24.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided anapparatus for filling sand bags comprising:

a support structure;

a distribution head mounted on the support structure;

a plurality of discharge spouts each mounted on the support structureand each defining a separate duct extending from the distribution headto a discharge mouth of the discharge spout;

the distribution head being mounted at an elevated position from theground for receiving sand for filling into bags from a conveyor;

each spout being arranged to cause flow of sand therethrough from thedistribution head to the discharge mouth;

each discharge mouth being spaced from the ground by a distance toreceive a sandbag thereunder;

wherein the discharge spouts are connected to the distribution head byreadily releasable couplings.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided anapparatus for filling sand bags comprising:

a support structure;

a distribution head mounted on the support structure;

a plurality of discharge spouts each mounted on the support structureand each defining a separate duct extending from the distribution headto a discharge mouth of the discharge spout;

the distribution head being mounted at an elevated position from theground for receiving sand for filling into bags from a conveyor;

each spout being arranged to cause flow of sand therethrough from thedistribution head to the discharge mouth;

each discharge mouth being spaced from the ground by a distance toreceive a sandbag thereunder;

wherein there are provided a prescribed number of discharge spouts whichlies in a range from 18 to 24.

In one arrangement the prescribed number of discharge spouts is 18.

In another arrangement the prescribed number of discharge spouts is 24.

In one arrangement the support structure comprises a trailer including aframe and a hitch for attaching to a towing vehicle.

The hitch may be pivotally coupled to the frame so as to be pivotallymovable about a transverse axis of the trailer from a towing position inwhich the hitch extends from the frame along a longitudinal direction ofthe trailer for towing to a stowed position in which the hitch extendsfrom the frame substantially transversely of the longitudinal directionof the trailer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

One embodiment of the invention will now be described in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of an apparatus according to thepresent invention with a number of the filling spouts omitted forconvenience of illustration.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the apparatus of FIG. 1 with the feedconveyor omitted and with the hitch in a towing position fortransportation of the apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view along the lines 3-3 on an enlargedscale showing the details on the distribution head.

FIG. 4 is an elevational view of the post in a folded condition.

FIG. 5 is a view like that shown in FIG. 3 but of another arrangement ofthe distribution head.

FIGS. 6 and 7 each are a schematic plan view of another arrangement ofdistribution head arranged for 18 and 24 discharge spouts, respectively.Some components are omitted for clarity of illustration.

FIG. 8 is an elevational view of another arrangement of the post shownin a vertically aligned condition.

FIG. 9 is an elevational view of the post arrangement of FIG. 8 shown ina folded condition.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate correspondingparts in the different figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The apparatus according to the present invention comprises adistribution apparatus generally indicated at 10 for distributing sandcarried upon a feed conveyor 11 to a plurality of sand bags one of whichis indicated at 12.

The apparatus 10 comprises a trailer 13 having a horizontal upperplatform 14, a frame 15 mounted on ground wheels 16 by which the trailercan be moved from place to place for assembly and use of the apparatus.As shown in FIG. 1 the trailer is in fixed position in which dependinglegs 17 are positioned at respective corners so as to locate theplatform 14 in a fixed position. The legs are shown schematically butare of a type which can be raised for transportation and lowered forstability in fixed position.

In FIG. 2 a hitch 18 is shown with a hitch member 19 for attachment to asuitable towing vehicle. The hitch 18 can be fastened in suitable mannerto the frame 15 for towing of the trailer when required.

On top of the trailer is mounted a vertical post 20 which extends fromthe trailer to a distribution head 21 at a height of approximately 10 to12 feet above the ground. The post 20 is formed from a square tubularmember fastened at its lower end to the platform 14 and fastened at itsupper end to a horizontal top plate 22 of the distribution head 21. Thepost is formed in two portions separated at an abutment line 23 allowingan upper part of the post to be pivoted away from the abutment linethrough 180° to lie alongside the lower part of the post. For thispurpose the lower part of the post includes an outstanding flange 24which carries a pivot pin 25 on which is mounted a pair of ears 26carried by the upper part of the post to allow pivotal movement of theupper part about the pin 25.

Turning now to FIG. 3, the top plate 22 of the distribution head 21 iscircular and extends outwardly from the post 20 to a peripheral edge 27.An annular plate 28 extends from the peripheral edge 27 outwardly andlies substantially in the horizontal plane of the plate 22. The annularplate 28 includes an overlapping portion resting on top of the plate 22and attached thereto by bolts 29 passing through the two plates andaccessible on the underside of the plate 22.

The annular plate carries at its outer periphery an upstanding rim 30which surrounds the plate 28 and forms therewith a receptacle for thesand to be distributed. The rim 30 is tapered slightly outwardly so asto converge any sand falling on the rim inwardly toward the plate 28.

The plate 28 includes a plurality of circular holes 31 arranged atangularly spaced positions around the periphery of the plate 28. Theholes have centres lying on a common circle surrounding a centre of theplate 28. The holes are dimensioned so that side edges of the holes aresubstantially in contact or spaced by a narrow band of material of theplate 28 between each hole and the next adjacent hole.

On the underside of the plate 28 is welded a plurality of funnels 32each having a mouth 33 directly surrounding an underside of a respectiveone of the holes 31. Each of the funnels 32 has a longitudinal axisinclined outwardly and downwardly from the underside of the plate 28.Each of the funnels tapers gradually from the mouth 33 to a dischargeopening 34 at a lower end of the funnel.

In one practical example there may be 12 such holes 31 having a diameterof the order of eight to ten inches and positioned on a circle of theorder of two and a half feet surrounding the centre of the post.

Each of the funnels 32 is attached to a filling spout 35 which has anupper end 36 just surrounding the mouth 34 of the spout 32. The fillingspout 35 is supported upon the spout 32 by a bracket 36 including aright angle bracket portion 37 attached to an upwardly facing part ofthe wall of the spout 35 together with a pair of flanges 38 mounted onthe spout 32 at a position aligned with the angle bracket. A pin 39 isattached to the flanges 38 by a transverse pin 40 allowing the pin 39 topivot upwardly and downwardly. The angle bracket 37 is forked in theflange portion thereof extending outwardly from the wall of the spout 35so that the pin 39 can be pushed into a slot in the flange and held inplace by a nut 41 threaded onto a threaded part of the pin 39.

The spout 35 is thus mounted upon the spout portion 32 and is held inplace by the engagement between the mouth 35A and the discharge opening34 and by the bracket 36. A support strut 36A extends from the platform14 of the trailer to a clamp 36B on the spout 35 at a position closer tothe discharge end to assist in providing effective support. The fillingspout 35 can thus be readily removed by disconnecting bracket 36 andstrut 36A so that the whole apparatus can be rapidly disassembled asrequired for transportation.

The filling spouts 35 have a longitudinal axis following substantiallythe outwardly and downwardly axis of the sport portion 32. Thus as bestshown in FIG. 2, the filling spouts 35 extend radially outwardly fromthe centre of the post and are inclined downwardly to a circle at alower end of the filling spouts surrounding the platform 14 of thetrailer. With the hitch 18 removed as shown in FIG. 1, the lower end ofeach of the filling spouts is readily accessible by a person approachingthe apparatus from outside the trailer 13 so that a person can walkreadily to a selected one of the lower ends of the discharge spouts foraccess thereto for filling of a sandbag 12.

At the lower end of each of the discharge spouts, there is provided ashallow bend portion 43 defining a vertical section 44 through which thesand is discharged vertically downwardly after sliding longitudinally ofthe filling spout 35. The angle of the filling spout is arranged suchthat the material can by gravity from the discharge spout 32 downwardlyto the vertical portion 44 for discharge into the sandbag. There are novalves nor other closures within the discharge spout 35 from its upperend 35 communicating with the respective hole 31 to the lower dischargeend 44.

Within the post 20 is mounted a drive shaft 45 which extends verticallyalong the post from a lower drive gear box 46 to an upper end 47 abovethe plate 22 and passing through a bearing 48 attached to the plate 22.The gear box 46 is driven by a shaft 49 passing through a hole in thewall of the post to a pulley 50 cooperating with a Y belt 51 driven by asmaller pulley 52 attached to a motor 53. The motor is mounted on oneside of the lower part of the post. The pulley 50 and the gear box 46are mounted on the upper part of the post so that the shaft is carriedwholly by the upper part and does not affect the pivotal action of theupper part relative to the lower part.

The upper end 47 of the drive shaft 45 is attached to a rotatingdistribution member 55 by a pin 55A attached to the member 55 andextending downwardly therefrom into releasable engagement with a splinedopening in the top of the drive shaft 47. The distribution member rideson a fixed conical plate 56 which covers the upper surface of the plate22 and the inner part of the plate 28 and is welded thereto to terminateadjacent the inside edge of the holes 31. The distribution member 55comprises a chute portion 58 defined by an inclined rear wall 59 and twoside walls 61 and 62. The chute defines an upper open rectangular mouthinto which material can be discharged. The chute tapers inwardly anddownwardly as best shown in FIG. 2 to a square open base 60 throughwhich the material can be discharged. The base 60 is dimensioned to beapproximately equal to or slightly greater than the diameter of one ofthe holes 31.

In operation a conventional conveyor 11 is operated to transport sandupwardly from a supply at the lower end in a metered amount to an upperdischarge section 11A from which the material can be dischargeddownwardly onto the distribution apparatus. The details of the conveyor11 are shown only schematically as these will be well known to oneskilled in the art as this type of machine is readily available on acommercial basis. The rate of supply of the material is metered by asuitable gate system and by the speed of movement of the belt section ofthe conveyor so that the material is discharged from the upper section11A at a predetermined weight per unit time.

The distribution member 55 is rotated by the shaft 45 relative to thereceptacle 21 so that the sand material discharged from the upper part11A of the conveyor falls into the chute and is guided to a respectiveone of the holes 31 for transportation through the associated fillingspout to an opening at the lower end of that filling spout. Theapparatus is serviced by a number of emergency personnel who carry anempty sand bag to each in turn of the filling spouts and time theirpositioning of an empty bag so that as the material is discharged intothe respective filling spout, an empty bag is positioned underneath thatspout ready to be filled. It will be appreciated that as thedistribution member rotates it moves the filling position from each ofthe filling spouts to the next in turn of the filling spouts angularlyspaced around the axis of the post. The rate of rotation is selectedrelative to the predetermined rate of delivery so that enough sand issupplied to the filling spout to fill the sand bag before thedistribution member moves to the next of the filling spouts. Each bag isthus filled at the respective filling spout giving time for the personassigned to that spout to tie off the bag when filled and remove the bagto a use location and to return to that spout with an empty bag beforethe filling spout is again supplied with the sand by the distributionmember.

Each person moving to a filling spout therefore simply has theresponsibility to receive the sand and to remove the bag when filled.There is no valve assembly to operate to close off the supply of sand sothat both hands of the user are available for grasping and handling thesand bag. The height of the vertical portion 44 is arranged so that itis just sufficient to receive an empty bag thereunder while the bagrests upon a suitable support surface 10A which may be the ground, afixed board or a narrow conveyor. The apparatus thus can be used to fillbags very rapidly using the large number of emergency personnelavailable during an emergency situation such as a military action orthreatened flooding. The apparatus is very simply and can be dismantledand moved from place to place so that it is readily available forimmediate use in the location where the sand bags are to be located.

There is disclosed herein an apparatus for filling sand bags comprisinga support structure, a distribution head mounted on the supportstructure, a plurality of discharge spouts each mounted on the supportstructure and each defining a separate duct extending from thedistribution head to a discharge mouth of the discharge spout, thedistribution head being mounted at an elevated position from the groundfor receiving sand for filling into bags from a conveyor, each spoutbeing arranged to cause flow of sand therethrough by gravity from thedistribution head to the discharge mouth, each discharge mouth beingspaced from the ground by a distance to receive a sandbag thereunder,and distribution means at the distribution head movable to cause apredetermined quantity of the sand supplied to the distribution head tobe supplied to each in turn of the spouts and then to close off furthersupply to said each in turn of the spouts.

Additionally there is disclosed herein a method of filling sand bagscomprising providing a plurality of separate filling spouts, supplyingsand from a conveyor to a distribution head, moving a distributionmember at the distribution head to cause the sand to flow from theconveyor into each in turn of the filling spouts and then to close offfurther supply of sand to said each in turn of the filling spouts,causing the sand to flow through the filling spout to a discharge mouthof the filling spout by gravity, manually moving bags to be filled suchthat the discharge mouth of each spout has a bag held thereat at thetime that the spout is supplied with sand, locating the height of thedischarge mouth from a support surface for the bag such that the bag ison or adjacent the support surface as it is filled, moving the filledbag from the mouth and replacing the filled bag with an empty bag duringthe time that the sand is closed off from that filling spout.

There is also disclosed herein an apparatus for filling sand bagscomprising a support structure mounted upon a vehicle having groundwheels for transportation of the support structure from site to site,the support structure comprising a tower extending vertically upwardlyfrom the vehicle, a distribution head mounted at the top of the tower, aplurality of discharge spouts each mounted on the support structure andeach defining a separate duct extending from an open end at thedistribution head downwardly and outwardly to a discharge mouth of thedischarge spout, the distribution head being mounted on the tower at anelevated position from the ground for receiving sand dischargeddownwardly from a conveyor for filling into bags, each spout beingarranged to cause flow of sand therethrough by gravity from thedistribution head to the discharge mouth, each discharge mouth beingspaced from the ground by a distance to receive a sandbag thereunder,and distribution means at the distribution head movable to cause apredetermined quantity of the sand supplied to the distribution head tobe supplied to each in turn of the spouts and then to close off furthersupply to said each in turn of the spouts the open ends of the dischargespouts being arranged at a base plate of the distribution head as acircle and the distribution means being rotatable about a vertical axispassing through the center of the circle.

Each of the discharge spouts is continually open from the distributionhead to the discharge mouth so that the flow of sand therethrough iscontrolled only by the distribution head.

The support structure is mounted upon a vehicle having ground wheels fortransportation of the support structure from site to site. the supportstructure comprises a central mast around which the discharge spouts arearranged.

There is provided a drive motor and a drive shaft extending verticallyupwardly along the central mast from the drive motor to the distributionmeans at the distribution head at the top of the mast.

The distribution head includes a portion of each discharge spoutattached thereto and extending downwardly therefrom, a remaining portionof each discharge spout being readily removable from and attachable tothe first portion.

The mast includes an upper portion and a lower portion and hinge meanstherebetween allowing the upper portion of the mast to be foldeddownwardly relative to the lower portion.

As shown more clearly in FIG. 4 another arrangement of post indicated at20′ may be formed in three portions: a top post portion 71 defining afirst top end 20A of the post supporting the distribution head 21 (andthus at the first post end), a bottom post portion 73 defining a secondbottom end 20B of the post carried on the base of the support structure(and therefore at the second post end), and an intermediate post portion75 operatively coupled between the top and the bottom post portion suchthat each of the top, the bottom, and the intermediate post portion ispivotally movable to the next. In other words, the intermediate postportion operatively links together the top and bottom post portions.

The intermediate post portion 75 is sized to form a shorter length or,in other words, a smaller portion of an overall length of the upstandingpost than the top post portion 71. For example the intermediate portionmay form 6″ of the length of the post. Typically the intermediateportion is also shorter in length than the bottom post portion 73.

The intermediate post portion is pivotally hinged by a pin and holearrangement located on the exterior of the post tubular structure toeach of the top post portion and the bottom post portion at 77 and 78.The hinges 77. 78 formed by the pin and hole arrangement are disposed ondiametrically opposite sides of the post, and at opposite ends(lengthwise) of the intermediate portion. As such, upon pivoting the toppost portion from an upstanding orientation as for example shown in FIG.1 towards a substantially horizontal orientation as shown in FIG. 4 theintermediate post portion 75 is pivotally displaced in an outwardlyopposite direction from the top post portion thereby bringing a bottomof the top portion, which otherwise sits immediately adjacent atop ofthe intermediate portion in the upstanding orientation, over a top ofthe bottom post portion in a folded condition of the post where thebottom post portion's top receives thereon the intermediate post portion75 in the upstanding orientation (also the operating position) of thepost. In the fully folded condition the top post portion may notnecessarily be disposed at 90 degrees relative to the bottom postportion.

An actuator 80 such as a hydraulic cylinder is operatively coupledbetween the top post portion 71 and the bottom post portion 73 so as tobe connected to each on that side of the post where the top andintermediate post portions are pivotally hinged together at 77. Each endof the actuator 80 is connected to the respective one of the top andbottom portions at a location 81, 82 spaced away from the intermediateportion 75, that is along the post away from hinge points 77 and 78. Theactuator 80 is operated to displace the post portions in foldingmovement of the post from the operating condition to the foldedcondition. The three portions of the post are linked in such a mannerthat upon operation of the actuator 80 the post portions pivot relativeto one another so as to be vertically stacked thereby positioning thedistribution head over the trailer forming the base of the apparatus'support structure.

Turning now to FIG. 5, the filling spouts 35 may be connected at thefunnels 32 via readily releasable couplings 83. In the arrangementillustrated in FIG. 5 the coupling comprises a cooperating hook 84 andrigid loop 85 so that the respective spout can be quickly decoupled fromits installed condition communicatively extending from the respectivefunnel. For example the hook which may be mounted on the spout includesa movable hinged leg 87 that can be displaced from an aligned conditionso that the hook can be connected with the rigid loop. In the alignedcondition the leg 87 is contiguous with the hook 84 so as to form aclosed loop thereby resisting unintentional detachment from the rigidloop 85.

Turning now to FIGS. 6 and 7, the distribution head may be provided witha larger number of spouts so as that more sand bags may besimultaneously readied for filling with sand. The apparatus is arrangedso as to have 18 to 24 spouts.

Turning to FIGS. 8 and 9, there is shown another arrangement of postindicated at 20″ where an intermediate post portion 75″ comprises firstand second portions 91 and 92 operatively coupled to one another so asto collectively form the length of the intermediate post portion. Thatis, the first and second portions 91, 92 vertically stack one on top ofthe other and are arranged end to end with a bottom 91B of the firstportion in abutment with a top 92A of the second portion in a verticallyaligned operating condition of the post as shown more clearly in FIG. 8,thereby forming the length of the intermediate post portion in adirection of the length of the post.

The first and second portions 91, 92 are pivotally hinged to one anotherat 95 which is on a common side to a hinge location whereat theintermediate post portion 75″ is pivotally hinged to the top postportion 71, that is at 77. As such, upon movement of the top postportion 71 from its upstanding orientation to a substantially horizontalorientation, the first and second portions 91, 92 are pivotallydisplaced and arranged side by side, vertically stacking on one anotherout of vertical alignment with the bottom post portion 73. That is, theintermediate post portion 75″ folds on itself at hinge or pivotalcoupling 95 so that common sides 91C and 92C of the first and secondportions which span between top and bottom of the respective suchportion, and which are on the same side as the pivot 95, are positionedto face one another in the folded condition of the post. In this manner,the hinge location 77 is located below a topmost end of the intermediatepost portion 75″, which is defined by side 91D of the first portion 91,in the folded condition of the post, thereby bringing the bottom of thetop post portion lower and closer towards the trailer in the fullyfolded condition of the post.

In the illustrated arrangement of post 20″, the first and secondportions 91, 92 are sized to form substantially equal portions of thelength of the intermediate post portion 75″, or in others words eachsuch portion forms half of the length of the intermediate post portion.Furthermore, each one of the first and second portions has a width fromone side, like that at 91C, to the opposite side, like that at 91D,which is substantially equal to the respective portion's height from topto bottom, that is for example from 91A to 91B.

It will also be appreciated that the hitch 18 may be pivotally coupledto the frame by a hinge 98 (schematically shown), for example defined bya pivot pin and held in place by a lock pin-and-hole arrangement, so asto be pivotally movable about a transverse axis of the trailer from atowing position (like that shown in FIG. 2) in which the hitch 18extends from the frame along a longitudinal direction of the trailer toposition the hitch member 19 in a suitable position for towing. Thehitch may then be pivoted to a stowed position in which the hitchextends from the frame substantially transversely to the longitudinaldirection of the trailer, for example in a downward direction out of theplane of the trailer, so as position the hitch 18 with hitch memberwhere the discharge of the filling spout will be unobstructed thereby.

Since various modifications can be made in my invention as herein abovedescribed, and many apparently widely different embodiments of samemade, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanyingspecification shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in alimiting sense.

1. Apparatus for filling sand bags comprising: a support structure; adistribution head mounted on the support structure; a plurality ofdischarge spouts each mounted on the support structure and each defininga separate duct extending from the distribution head to a dischargemouth of the discharge spout; the distribution head being mounted at anelevated position from the ground for receiving sand for filling intobags from a conveyor; each spout being arranged to cause flow of sandtherethrough from the distribution head to the discharge mouth; eachdischarge mouth being spaced from the ground by a distance to receive asandbag thereunder; the support structure including a post carrying thedistribution head at its top that is arranged to stand upwardly from abase of the support structure; the post being formed by a top postportion at or proximate a first end of the post supporting thedistribution head, a bottom post portion at or proximate a second end ofthe post carried on the base of the support structure, and anintermediate post portion operatively coupled between the top and thebottom post portion such that each of the top, the bottom, and theintermediate post portion is pivotally movable to the next; theintermediate post portion being sized to form a shorter length of theupstanding post than the top post portion; the intermediate post portionbeing pivotally hinged to each of the top post portion and the bottompost portion on a diametrically opposite side of the post such that uponpivoting the top post portion from an upstanding orientation towards asubstantially horizontal orientation the intermediate post portion ispivotally displaced in an outwardly opposite direction from the topportion thereby bringing a bottom of the top post portion over a top ofthe bottom post portion in a folded condition of the post.
 2. Theapparatus according to claim 1 wherein the intermediate post portioncomprises first and second portions operatively coupled so as tocollectively form the length of the intermediate post portion, the firstand second portions being pivotally hinged to one another on a commonside to a hinge location whereat the intermediate post portion ispivotally hinged to the top post portion so that in the folded conditionof the post the first and second portions vertically stack out ofvertical alignment with the bottom post portion and said hinge locationis located below a topmost end of the intermediate post portion in thefolded condition of the post.
 3. The apparatus according to claim 2wherein the first and second portions are sized to form substantiallyequal portions of the length of the intermediate post portion.
 4. Theapparatus according to claim 2 wherein the first and second portionseach are sized substantially the same to one another in height along thelength of the intermediate post portion and in width.
 5. The apparatusaccording to claim 1 further including an actuator operatively coupledbetween the top post portion and the bottom post portion on that side ofthe post where the top and intermediate post portions are pivotallyhinged for displacing the post portions in folding movement of the post.6. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the discharge spouts areconnected to the distribution head by readily releasable couplings. 7.The apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the readily releasablecouplings comprise cooperating hooks and loops.
 8. The apparatusaccording to claim 1 wherein there are provided a prescribed number ofdischarge spouts which lies in a range from 18 to
 24. 9. The apparatusaccording to claim 8 wherein the prescribed number of discharge spoutsis
 18. 10. The apparatus according to claim 8 wherein the prescribednumber of discharge spouts is
 24. 11. The apparatus according to claim 1wherein the support structure comprises a trailer including a frame anda hitch for attaching to a towing vehicle, the hitch being pivotallycoupled to the frame so as to be pivotally movable about a transverseaxis of the trailer from a towing position in which the hitch extendsfrom the frame along a longitudinal direction of the trailer for towingto a stowed position in which the hitch extends from the framesubstantially transversely of the longitudinal direction of the trailer.12. Apparatus for filling sand bags comprising: a support structure; adistribution head mounted on the support structure; a plurality ofdischarge spouts each mounted on the support structure and each defininga separate duct extending from the distribution head to a dischargemouth of the discharge spout; the distribution head being mounted at anelevated position from the ground for receiving sand for filling intobags from a conveyor; each spout being arranged to cause flow of sandtherethrough from the distribution head to the discharge mouth; eachdischarge mouth being spaced from the ground by a distance to receive asandbag thereunder; wherein the discharge spouts are connected to thedistribution head by readily releasable couplings.
 13. The apparatusaccording to claim 12 wherein the readily releasable couplings comprisecooperating hooks and loops.
 14. The apparatus according to claim 12wherein the support structure comprises a trailer including a frame anda hitch for attaching to a towing vehicle, the hitch being pivotallycoupled to the frame so as to be pivotally movable about a transverseaxis of the trailer from a towing position in which the hitch extendsfrom the frame along a longitudinal direction of the trailer for towingto a stowed position in which the hitch extends from the framesubstantially transversely of the longitudinal direction of the trailer.15. Apparatus for filling sand bags comprising: a support structure; adistribution head mounted on the support structure; a plurality ofdischarge spouts each mounted on the support structure and each defininga separate duct extending from the distribution head to a dischargemouth of the discharge spout; the distribution head being mounted at anelevated position from the ground for receiving sand for filling intobags from a conveyor; each spout being arranged to cause flow of sandtherethrough from the distribution head to the discharge mouth; eachdischarge mouth being spaced from the ground by a distance to receive asandbag thereunder; wherein there are provided a prescribed number ofdischarge spouts which lies in a range from 18 to
 24. 16. The apparatusaccording to claim 15 wherein the prescribed number of discharge spoutsis
 18. 17. The apparatus according to claim 15 wherein the prescribednumber of discharge spouts is
 24. 18. The apparatus according to claim17 wherein the support structure comprises a trailer including a frameand a hitch for attaching to a towing vehicle, the hitch being pivotallycoupled to the frame so as to be pivotally movable about a transverseaxis of the trailer from a towing position in which the hitch extendsfrom the frame along a longitudinal direction of the trailer for towingto a stowed position in which the hitch extends from the framesubstantially transversely of the longitudinal direction of the trailer.